Cruel World
by Derpy Seahorse Genes
Summary: /"Let's never forget each other," they say. "Promise."/ A series of prompts written for Specklefur The Cat's birthday.


**A/N: I'm not dead. Yay. But in all seriousness I've decided to come out of hiding to write a story for my friend Specklefur The Cat, whose birthday is tomorrow. Happy birthday, avocado.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own FNaF. Partial ownership of Poppy and Lilac goes to Specklefur The Cat.**

* * *

 _1\. Life_

Sometimes Poppy is so childish, so energetic, so full of _life_ that all it takes it an attempt of him grabbing her hand to remind him that she isn't.

She's a ghost.

 _2\. Birth_

When Poppy asks where babies come from she doesn't understand why Mike looks nervous.

She does understand that their born from mothers, just doesn't know _how._

All she asked was a question, didn't she?

 _3\. Childhood_

Mike sometimes tells Poppy about his and Chelsie's childhood.

Sometimes Poppy tells Mike about what lasted of her childhood.

They both weren't very good ones.

 _4\. Teenage_

Her father looks at him, and sadly turns towards at a photo on his desk.

"She'd be sixteen this year, I believe."

It's hard to believe that the ghost child would be a teen.

He swallows down the lump in his throat.

'Yeah, _ghost child_.'

 _5\. Adult_

"Being an adult is hard. You're lucky you don't have to be one."

Seeing all the workers bustle about in the day, seeing her father drown in work to get over grief...

Poppy decides that maybe Mike is right.

 _6\. Family_

To her, he's like another father.

To him, she's like a younger sister.

They're family to each other.

Not that they'd say anything about it.

 _7\. Friends_

They both didn't have many friends growing up.

'Growing up' isn't 'now'.

 _8\. Strangers_

"Stranger danger," Lilac used to tell her.

This man wasn't a 'stranger', nor was he a 'danger'.

She was determined to prove it.

 _9\. Growth_

At the beginning, she was annoying.

At the beginning, he was tired of her.

Now, as he watches her frolic in the dead remains of her home, he can say that she isn't.

Like the flowers that once bloomed here he grew to like her.

 _10\. Struggle_

She was screaming, crying out for herself to stop.

Watching the man she grew to care for struggle against his mind was terrifying.

Knowing that she was the one causing it was horrifying.

Seeing the life slip from his eyes made everything in her shut down.

 _11\. Love_

"I love you."

Those words shouldn't have come out.

The smile and repetition of the word makes the doubt fade.

 _12\. Jealousy_

Poppy's never felt jealousy for as long as she can remember.

Watching older girls fawn over him simply because her father asked for the night guards to come in early for something was the trigger.

She felt immense joy at watching them freak.

(She was promptly scolded later.)

 _13\. Hatred_

He hated the fact they were dragged in this.

He hated the fact that his sister almost killed him.

You know what he hated the most?

He _hated_ how they thought manipulating those who he was close to would stop him.

(He'd show them true _fear_.)

 _14\. Laughter_

It was rare to see the younger of the Schmidt twins laugh out of joy.

Poppy liked to take her chances.

 _15\. Tears_

Neither of them were criers.

Seeing them _both_ cry at _the same time_ rang alarm bells.

 _16\. Success_

"A single success story...

 _17\. Failure_

...is nothing without failure."

(It's something, Mike noticed, that Poppy's family has a habit of doing.)

 _18\. Beginning_

In the beginning he was a jerk.

In the beginning she was a kid.

 _19\. Middle_

He became more understanding, more kind.

She became more outlandish, more devilish.

 _20\. End_

In the end he was happy.

In the end she was happy.

(They were littered with mental scars.)

 _21\. Spring_

Poppy once told him Spring was her favorite season.

Lilac once told him she loved marigolds.

The backroom was decorated with them when he showed her.

 _22._ Summer

The night guards usually complained about how hot it was in the summer.

Poppy had thought of a 'great' idea.

The floor was soaking wet in the morning.

 _23\. Fall_

Most kids were gone in the mornings and early afternoons.

Poppy took advantage of the absences.

The pizzeria smelled like Thanksgiving dinner.

 _24\. Winter_

Mike hated winter.

Chelsie loved it.

Suffice to say, the younger twin was covered in snow when he arrived.

 _25\. Day_

It was boring in the day.

No night guards, no haunted animatronics, nothing.

 _26\. Night_

It was much more exciting at night.

Seemed like the place buzzed with more life.

 _27\. Death_

One by one, they stopped coming.

One by one, newbies were hired.

Poppy knew what was happening.

 _28\. Burial_

She broke her long held promise to go to each one.

 _29\. Coffin_

She'd watch the big, black box get buried in the dirt.

 _30\. Corpse_

Sometimes, if she was lucky, she'd see a glimpse of pale skin.

 _31\. Graveyard_

Every year she'd go back.

The tombstones seemed duller every time.

 _32\. Enemies_

Mike didn't have a lot of enemies.

At least until he got the wretched job.

 _33\. Blood_

She didn't bleed.

She didn't bleed but the pain hurt.

 _It burns_.

 _34\. Red_

His sister's eyes were red.

They stared right back into his blue ones.

 _35\. Pain_

The pain he felt was unimaginable.

All he could manage was that it spread, spread until he was choking.

Spread until his entire body was engulfed.

 _36\. Wound_

"I'm fine, really."

The cuts weren't that deep.

They only stung a little.

Still, Mike supposes that the worry and concern isn't that bad.

 _37\. Plan_

"I have a plan," Barry told her.

"A plan that'll change everything as we know it."

How she regretted agreeing with it.

 _38\. Murder_

It's a word Poppy knows Mason hates.

Maybe that's why Owen forced him to relive those feelings all over again.

 _39\. Motivation_

Poppy's driven by it.

Every waking hour she's driven by the motivation to _do something_.

This one time she wishes she wasn't.

 _40\. Poison_

"Pick your poison kid."

Owen gave her a look.

With a nod, Poppy opened her mouth.

(She hoped to whatever God is out there she made the right choice.)

 _41\. Weapon_

"You're going to have to fight."

The expression Mary has is enough to force his hand.

So he picks up the only bow placed before them.

(He wonders if God truly loves everyone, why does he let them suffer.)

 _42\. Cold-blooded_

It's the only word they have to describe Barry and Alain.

Mike agrees.

Poppy doesn't.

 _43\. Emotions_

They're both feeling a lot right now.

Anger, sadness, confusion, regret...

The most prominent one is betrayal.

 _44\. Witness_

He witnessed the Bite of '87.

She witnessed the flames around her.

(Young eyes were forever scarred.)

 _45\. Mystery_

Mike thinks that Freddy Fazbear's can keep their shady secrets, so long as they don't involve him.

Poppy thinks the mysteries of the place should come crashing through the floodgates.

Both have varying ranges of agreement.

 _46\. Bizzare_

Poppy's 'glitter baths' are certainly bizarre.

The others think it's hilarious.

Mike just thinks they're the bane of his existence.

 _47\. Witch_

"Aw, you look so cute together!"

Poppy laughs excitedly, and all Mike can do is groan.

Why did he agree to this again?

Ah, right, because Poppy didn't want to be a witch without a cat.

He's going to strangle that dumb rabbit latter.

 _48\. You_

'There's no one else like you,' they think.

 _49\. Me_

'I wouldn't be like this without you,' they think.

 _50\. Us_

"Let's never forget each other," they say.

"Promise."

* * *

 **Ah, would you look at that. I'm done! Now, before I forget: Chelsie, Barry, Alain, and Poppy's dad belong to Specklefur The Cat. Mason, Mary, and Owen are merely characterizations of FNaF characters owned by the same person.**

 **Until next time!**


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